The insiders were waiting for nothing else. Jonathan Hickman – author who elevated Marvel ‘s mutants , among his many successes – together with artist Michael Huddleston inaugurate a new universe in the pages of Decorum . Published by Image Comics and landed in Italy thanks to SaldaPress , this new comic book effort immediately achieved some success. Was this to be expected? A little yes, given the background of the signatures that took part in the project. There is a “but”, and perhaps it is still too early to rejoice at all, and we will explain it to you before getting to the heart of the review: Decorumit’s not for everyone. This does not mean, however, that only a group of elect can understand this work or that special knowledge is required to appreciate its spirit and content.

Lovers of science fiction and specifically of space opera in general, start with an advantage. We also need to be clear about this from the start: the tone is experimental . But what is meant in this case? Among infinite expressions and words, this is what best describes the project? Let’s answer these and other questions in the review of the first two volumes of Decorum .

The plot

Decorum opens with a confrontation . We see robots – the concept is reminiscent of European expeditions following the discovery of America – invading a pre-Columbian population on a distant planet. This first clash anticipates the search for an Egg which appears to contain important secrets , including the very existence of the universe. To these are added the events of the young Neha Nori Sood , a courier who is entrusted with the task of delivering a package with extreme urgency . Of course, things never go smoothly, and she will discover an organization – and school – of unscrupulous killers .. You guessed it: she becomes a killer too.

These two macro -stories meet when the Sisterhood of Man is entrusted with the search for the coveted Egg. And who will find this object while also discovering its content? The protagonist, of course. The young Neha has no particular talents and she is not even born with the ambition of becoming a killer. She is a double victim: victim of society (where every day is a battle for survival) and victim of events (other figures choose for her, they change her life and give her a purpose ). Who would have thought that such a poorly characterized person would have played such an important role in the story?

One gets the impression that Neha is a bit of an aseptic presence from the beginning, with little depth and launched into an adventure that maybe she would have gladly done without. There are no holds to be able to fall in love with this character, to be able to really cheer for her. After all, cheer for what? Yes, her sacrifices do not have a selfish purpose, there is love for a person who is important to her , but she has little room to grow or really make a difference. The first two volumes examined for the Decorum review do not seem to shine for the plot , but the good Hickman has left his mark with other factors, decisive in this series.